


The Midnight Letter

by starsscribe



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Mentions of Rape, Robert knows, kind of a slice of life approach to this AU, mention of child murder, my god this a tame fic this world is dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22189981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsscribe/pseuds/starsscribe
Summary: A mockingbird has heard the song of your great secret and sung it to the stag. He knows of the beast you took from the sands and hid amongst the snows. He rides north with the western pride to acquire wolf pelt or two. Act with haste. As you told me once, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives.The last loyal knight rides ahead in the hopes of succeeding where he once failed. He is a friend to be welcomed.--------Robert finds out Jon's parentage. Winterfell reacts.
Relationships: Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Jon Snow & Ned Stark, Jon Snow & Robb Stark
Comments: 23
Kudos: 178





	The Midnight Letter

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this as a one-shot because 30% of me wants to continue it but 70% of me is unsure about where to take it. This part came so clearly to me and anything after just hasn't come to me yet. I think it works pretty well as a stand-alone though.

_A mockingbird has heard the song of your great secret and sung it to the stag. He knows of the beast you took from the sands and hid amongst the snows. He rides north with the western pride to acquire wolf pelt or two. Act with haste. As you told me once, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives._

_The last loyal knight rides ahead in the hopes of succeeding where he once failed. He is a friend to be welcomed._

Ned read the letter Luwin had handed him and paled. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the paper unseeing. 

“Ned,” Cat said as she sat down beside him, reading over his shoulder. “What on earth does this mean? And why does it have you so worried?” She placed her arms on his shoulders in an attempt at comfort. He barely felt it. “Tell me husband, what troubles you?” 

Without lifting his eyes from the paper, Ned spoke softly. 

“Luwin, wake the children. I want the four younger ones moved into the Lady’s chambers. Catelyn hasn’t slept there in a while but it should still be useable.” He stood and began to dress. “Tell Jon and Robb to go to my solar and wait there.”

“My Lord, forgive me,” Luwin said, “but why am I moving the children from their beds into another. Are they in danger?” 

“They may yet be,” Ned replied. “Once you’ve seen to the children, wake Ser Rodrick and tell him to send two men to guard the door. Then send him to my solar as well.” 

“Should I fetch parchment for ravens as well my lord?” Luwin asked. The maester was always more cleaver than he liked to admit. Ned thanked the gods for it now. 

“Yes. Birds will fly to every house in the north before dawn I think.” 

Luwin bowed and left 

“Birds to every house?” Catelyn asked in shock. “Are you calling the banners? Ned, what is going on?”

“I fear I will only be able to tell this story once. I promise my love, you will know all before the night is done.” 

* * *

When Jon awoke to Maester Luwin shaking him, his first thought was that something was gravely wrong. He jolted up, asking where the danger was, only to be told his father wanted to see him in his solar. Immediately. What his father could want from him at this hour of the night, he did not know, but he dressed and made his way up the stairs, rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to chase his drowsiness away. 

“Father has summoned you as well then,” Robb said as he walked up beside Jon. 

“Apparently,” Jon replied. Robb seemed much more awake than he. Perhaps Jon wouldn’t have to pay much attention in this midnight meeting then. Whatever this was it must be important, but it’s not like he was heir to Winterfell. Jon doubted he would be needed much, whatever the problem was. 

“Luwin moved the girls and Bran and Rickon to mother’s chambers for the night,” Robb spoke softly, like a maid gossiping in the kitchen. “He sent two guards with them and I saw Ser Rodrick headed up to father’s solar as well” 

Now that was interesting. Whatever has caused this summons, Lord Stark must think his children are in danger to take such actions. It helped jolt Jon to attentiveness a little more. 

“Did they say anything?” he asked Robb. “Arya, I know must’ve had a dozen questions.” 

“She did. And Luwin fielded them all. I’m unsure if even he knows what this is about.” 

As they rounded the corner they saw two guards standing by the entrance to the Lord’s Solar. The two men nodded their heads at Robb as they opened the door to let the boys in. 

Inside their father sat behind his desk with a single small parchment in front of him. Lady Stark stood off to his right side and the Maester was on his left. Ser Rodrick was seated in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. Robb walked forward and sat in the other one. Jon stayed back near the door, head slightly down. Lady Stark was here. He would not give her any reason to snap at him this early in the morning. 

“Boys, thank you for coming. I’m sorry to have woken you from your sleep but this is important and something you needed to hear,” father said. Jon doubted that. Whatever it was, Robb could’ve just told him later. If it was a matter of war or Northern security, no one would listen to a bastard. He briefly wondered how much trouble he’d be in if at some point during this meeting he snuck out the door and back to bed. 

“Earlier this evening, a raven came from King’s Landing. The king rides for Winterfell with a host of men,” his father said. Well if Jon wasn’t inclined to pay attention before he was now. The king? Riding in force against Lord Stark? What madness was happening? 

“Why would the king ever ride against you,” Ser Rodrick asked. “You are his oldest friend, his closest ally.” 

“Because I betrayed him,” Lord Stark said. “I lied to him for 17 years, committed treason and acted against the crown’s wishes.” He was looking at Jon with an intensity that made the boy uncomfortable. 

“Betrayed him? Committed treason?” Lady Catelyn was staring at her husband like he had grown a second head. “Ned… what have you done?” 

“After the Trident, when I reached King’s Landing, Tywin Lannister had sacked the city. His son had murdered the king he’d swore to protect and Tywin himself had ordered the butchery and murder of Elia Martell and her children.” 

Jon and Robb exchanged glances across the room. Father never talked of the rebellion, especially not the last days and his exploits after the fall of capital. 

“My love, we know this tale,” Lady Catelyn spoke.

“You know some of it,” Ned said. “A mixture of truth and half lies concocted to hide what we had done.” 

Before anyone could speak again, Ned continued his story. 

“When Robert arrived, I demanded the Lannisters face justice for what they had done. Aerys was mad, but Jamie Lannister broke a sacred oath. And Princess Elia and her children were innocent, no matter what Rhaegar may have done.

“Robert refused. He looked at the bodies of Aegon -- a babe still feeding from his mother’s breast whose head had been smashed against a wall until it was unrecognizable -- and Rhaeneys -- a young girl stabbed over a hundred times. He looked at their butchered bodies wrapped in Lannister cloaks… and he smiled. I see no children, he said, only dragonspawn.” 

Lady Catelyn released a soft gasp. She’d heard rumors of the event, but always figured they were exaggerated. To find out they were true, that someone would condone, even support that kind of atrocity against children, it horrified her. 

Jon and Robb seemed to share twin expressions of anger. _Damn the stags and lions to all seven hells,_ Jon thought, _t_ _here’s no honor in killing babes and little girls._

“We argued, Robert and I, harder and louder than we had ever argued before. I told him that if this is how he wanted to rule, I would have no more part in it. I left the capital in a rage and rode to make peace with the Tyrells who were besieging Strom’s End at the request of Jon Aryn. 

“While I was there I received a raven from Dorne. From Ashara Dayne,” He glanced between Catelyn and Jon now. He knew what Catelyn, what many a high lord and lady in Westeros, thought about Ashara Dayne’s relation to Jon. 

“She told me she had heard of what happened to Elia and the children, what had happened to Rhaegar. She said she wanted no more bloodshed, no more loss. She offered to tell me where my sister was, so long as I spared the life of her brother Arthur.

“I agreed. She sent back that Lyanna was living in a tower at the north of the Prince’s Pass and that she was being guarded by Ashars’s brother and Ser Oswell Whent. Once the Tyrells had bent the knee, I assembled a group of Northmen, including Howland Reed, and begin riding for Dorne.” 

Catelyn tried to interject and ask a question but ned held up a hand to silence her. He had held this secret for 17 years. If he stopped now he might never finish. 

“When we arrived, we found Sers Arthur and Oswell just as Ashara said we would. They were not interested in talking. We fought and only Howland and I survived. Arthur Dayne was killed after he disarmed me. Howland stabbed him in the back of the neck and I cut his throat with Dawn.” 

He looked right at Jon now, with the same intensity as before. It still made Jon uncomfortable but he found he could not bring himself to look away. 

“Then we heard a scream from the tower. I ran up the steps and into the topmost room and found her. Lyanna, my only sister, sweating with fever and lying in a pool of blood. She had just given birth.” 

“Birth?” Ser Rodrick intervened. “You said she died of a mere sick fever, my lord.” 

“A half-truth to hid the reality.” 

Catelyn Stark visibly tensed by her husband’s side. Jon saw her eyes shift to him briefly before looking back at her husband. “What happened to the child?” she asked. 

Ned continued to have eyes only for Jon. 

“Lyanna was not dead yet when I entered the room. I ran to her bedside. She told me she was scared to die. I told her she wasn’t going to but we both knew I was lying. Lyanna waved a wet nurse over and had her place the babe in my arms. 

“His name is Aegon Targaryen, she said. You have to protect him, Ned. If Robert finds out he’ll kill him you know he will. Promise me, Ned. Promise me.

“I did. And then my sister died.” 

Robb seemed to sit up slowly in his chair with a realization. His face seemed to bounce between Jon’s and Ned’s. Ser Rodrick appeared to be doing the same thing. Jon knew what they were thinking. But it couldn’t be true. If it was true that would mean… 

“I knew the best way to throw off Robert’s suspicion off of what I was doing was to make peace with him. So I took Lyanna’s body to King’s Landing on the way north. I told everyone I had found her dead of a fever. I had the tower torn down and made into graves for the Kingsguard. And I returned Dawn to House Dayne and said one last goodbye to the Lady Ashara. She died not long after we left. The losses she had bared were too much.

“When people asked, I told them the boy was my bastard son. No one questioned any of the lies I told. I was Eddard Stark, my honor was beyond reproach. Of course, I would claim any bastard I sired, even if it seemed I was too honorable to even sire one.” 

Jon’s hands curled into fists at his side and he squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to control his emotions. This was not how he envisioned finding out the truth. This was not anything close to what he envisioned the truth to be. He refused to open his eyes. He refused to meet his father’s - no his uncle’s apparently - gaze. 

“Jon,” Lord Stark spoke softly. 

“This is all my fault then,” Jon said. “The king marches north with an army because of me. Your sister is dead because of me. You’ve been forced to lie to everyone, your own wife even, for neigh 20 years because of me.” 

“Jon,” Ned tried again. 

But Jon didn’t want to listen. He didn’t want to hear anything Lord Stark had to say to him. So he turned and left the room, storming past the two guards outside. He heard Ned and Robb call after him, but he didn’t stop. He knew it was childish. He didn’t care. He just wanted to be alone. 

His mind was abuzz with thoughts. _I’m not his son. He lied to me. I’m a trueborn son of House Targaryen? He lied to me. I have a claim to the Iron Throne? He lied to me. My mother is dead. He lied to me._

_I am a king… perhaps?_

_He lied to me._

_Robert Baratheon is coming to kill us all. Because of me._

Jon wasn’t even paying attention where he was walking, but when he looked up, he found himself in the doorway of the crypts. He remembered his dreams of late. Of being chased through the crypts by the souls that inhabit it as they screamed at him that he didn’t belong there. At least now he knew it was the truth. 

_I’m not a Stark._

He turned to leave, to go back to his room and hide away until morning. But then he realized - his mother was down there. She’d been down there all this time. He turned back towards the crypts, grabbed the lit torch that was always just inside the entrance and began to walk down. 

* * *

“We can’t let him leave. We have to go after him. He shouldn’t be alone,” Robb spoke quickly, halfway out of his chair already. “You moved Arya and Sansa and Bran and Rickon and have them guarded because you _think_ they could be in danger but we _know_ Jon is in danger! He shouldn’t be alone!” 

Ned tried to calm his oldest son. “I think he may need to be alone right now after everything he just learned. Wouldn’t you?” 

Robb didn’t look appeased but sat back in the chair anyways. Ned sighed. Perhaps he should have told Jon alone and then told everyone else. Perhaps having Robb here was a mistake. Ned never was very good at emotional conversations. 

“I believe I know where he has gone,” he told his eldest son. “Jon is smart. He will not leave Winterfell. I will give him some time alone and then I will go to him.” 

"And we are certain about the reliability of the letter's contents?" Luwin asked. 

"Certain? No," Ned looked back down at the parchment. "But I recognize the writing and the conversation referenced at the end. It is from Lord Varys, I'm sure." 

"And we can trust the spider?" Ser Rodrick asked. 

"In this, I think we can," Ned replied. "Varys is many things, but he was one of the few who spoke against the murder of the Targaryan children. And I have always suspected it was he who warned Dragonstone that Stannis was on his way." 

They could debate the veracity and intent of the letter later. Right now it was best to act as if it were true. 

“Ser Rodrick, I need you to double the castle guard tonight," Ned said. "In the morning, I want to begin preparing scout teams so we know when Robert is near. Luwin, if you could give me that parchment and ink I sent for earlier, I will get started on those letters for you. Robb, go to your siblings. Do not yet tell them what was said here. I know they will pester you about it, but I do not wish to tell them until Jon says it’s okay.” 

Ser Roderick looked pale, his eyes slightly wider than normal. Ned didn’t blame him for his shock. He felt much the same when Lyanna whispered the words _Aegon Targaryen_ into his ears. To his credit, Roderick nodded and walked out of the solar, giving orders to the guards outside as he left. 

His departure forced Ned to look at Robb once more. His oldest was staring at him with cold eyes. He appeared to have no intention of moving. 

“How do we protect him?” 

“Robb, you should go look after your siblings and get some rest,” Ned said. “We can reconvene in the morning” 

“Jon is one of my siblings. The one in the most danger. I won’t be able to sleep until I know we can protect him.” 

“You can’t,” Catelyn said 

Her voice was soft but sure. Sometime during the revelation, she had turned to look out the window behind them. The night was dark and the late summer winds provided a chill. 

“The bo — Jon… will never be safe now that Robert knows. None of us are safe now that Robert knows. There’s only one way we can react to this.” 

“No.” Ned’s tone left no room for argument. “I will not plunge the realm into another war.” 

Catelyn turned to look at him. 

“Ned… be reasonable. War is already coming. King Robert rides north without sending word himself. It’s highly unlikely he means to talk.” 

“I don’t want to fight him. He’s my friend.” 

Robb stood up so quickly, his chair turned over and hit the floor with a thwack. His stare had turned to daggers. 

“Your friend? Your _friend_! Jon is your son in all but blood. You raised him. He is family, a member of this pack and you can’t say for certain that you would fight for him?” 

“That is not what I said. I said didn’t want to fight Robert, not that I wouldn’t. But the realm doesn’t need another war if it can be prevented.” 

Robb turned and strode towards the door, tense with anger. He stopped just before he grabbed the handle. 

“Mother is right. Robert Baratheon isn’t coming here to talk. He’s coming here to murder my brother and maybe everyone else in this family too. I don’t intend to sit meekly by and let that happen.”

He threw open the door and marched out, shutting it forcefully behind him. 

“I’m going to look after the children,” Catelyn spoke gently but firmly as she made to leave. “You need to talk to Jon.”   
  
“Do you really think the North would follow him,” Ned asked. “He is a dragon.” 

Catelyn stopped but didn’t turn around. “And a wolf,” she said. “He has more of the north in him.” 

As she left, Luwin placed the first blank raven scroll in front of Ned on the table. With a sigh, Ned picked up a quill, dipped it in ink and made to write. But he didn’t know what to say. 

“What am I doing? Am I asking them for protection or rebellion? Is there even a difference?” 

“In this my lord, there is not,” Luwin said. “Yet no matter how they see it, you are asking them to do the right thing. To protect an innocent life. Your bannermen know Jon. They know as you do that the boy is more ice than fire, more north than south. They will want to help protect him.” 

“Ice and fire… Dragon and wolf…” Ned said thoughtfully. That was it perhaps, the thing he needed to convince the northern lords if it came to war, and perhaps a few southern ones too. “Luwin, I need one last favor from you tonight.” 

“Anything my lord, I’m here to serve.” 

“I need everything you can find in the Winterfell library on the Pact of Ice and Fire.” 

* * *

The crypts were always dark, but Jon had never been afraid while down here. Tonight felt different though. _You’re not a Stark_ his dreams had whispered. They were right. He knew that for certain now. The crypts were a place for the members of House Stark, he shouldn’t be here. 

But he needed to be here. He had to see her, even if she was only stone. 

Father — Lord Stark — had brought him and Robb down here once when they were young boys. That had been the first time Jon had heard his father talk about his sister. The walk to her statue seemed to take longer than he remembered, but he found her soon enough. 

For a while, he simply stood there and studied her. It was hard to make out her features from the stone, but the statue was beautiful. Someone had placed a winter rose in her upturned palms. Whoever it was had been here recently by the look of it. 

“You’ve always been here,” he said to the stone. “Right here just under my feet and I never knew.” 

Jon had hoped seeing his mother’s statue in the crypts would make Lord Stark’s tale feel truer. Instead, he just felt more confused. 

“They say he raped you, kidnapped you. Did he force you into having a child? Did you even want me? Could you have loved me?” 

The statue gave no response. 

“What should I do?” he asked the darkness. 

“Fight.” 

Jon startled and turned towards the voice. Robb stepped forward with one hand raised in apology. The other held a torch. Jon hadn’t even heard him approach he’d been so lost in thought. 

“You want to start a war?” Jon asked. “With what army? For what purpose?” 

“With a northern army. To win the iron throne.” 

Jon wanted to laugh. “The northerners fought against House Targaryen and they’ve never been given any reason to fight for them. Torrhen Stark’s decision to kneel was hated and Rhaegar kidnapped our aun— my mother. Why should the north fight for me? Why should they fight to win a southern crown?” 

“Because you’re one of us. Because they’d rather kneel to a Dragon King from the North than a southern king who —“ 

“Who they fought to put on the throne?” 

“Who would murder an innocent for the crimes of his father.” 

“And when they find out their liege lord lied to them? That he put them all in danger? Committed treason and brought war to their kingdom? Will they still want to fight for me then?” 

“They are sworn to House Stark. Sworn to Winterfell.” 

“I’m not a Stark.” 

“You are.” 

“No. I’m not. Perhaps, before today, I could have been. Gods know I fantasized about doing something great and getting legitimized. But you heard fath—Lord Stark. Aegon Targaryen, she said. I’m not a Stark and I never will be.” 

“You’re just as much a Stark as I — ” 

“As you are a Tully.” 

“No.” Robb stepped forward to place his free arm on Jon’s arm. He needed his brother to understand. “I’ve never lived in Riverrun. I’ve never walked amongst the people of the Riverlands. I’ve never sat at Lord Hoster’s table and eaten his food or learned from his maester. I’ve never trained with Riverrun’s Master of Arms. I don’t know what it means to be a Tully. 

“But you know what it means to be a Stark. You were raised as a Stark. Winterfell is your home. The North is your home. We are your pack and we will fight for you.” 

Jon stepped back and removed Robb’s hand. 

“Robb… I don’t think it would be a fight we could win.” 

“We have to try at least. Even Mother agrees about that.” 

That surprised Jon. “Lady Catelyn-? “ 

“Was the first person to mention open rebellion with the goal of putting you on the throne. Or at least the first to imply it.” 

“And what did father say?” 

Robb’s eyes darkened and his grip on the torch tightened. “He said he didn’t want to fight his friend. Not that he wouldn’t. But that he didn’t want to. That the realm had seen enough war.” 

“He’s right. Enough people have bled and died because of Rhaegar and Lyanna.” Jon walked past Robb towards the exit. He wanted to be alone again. 

“Robert Baratheon will kill you if we don’t do this,” Robb called after him.

“Perhaps one death is better than thousands,” Jon said without looking back.   


* * *

Ned had never noticed just how bare Jon’s room was. A bed, a side table, and a small trunk were the only things here. No decorations or trinkets adorned the walls or the fire mantle. 

He knew Jon would have gone down to the crypts. He didn’t want to interrupt him there, but Catelyn was right. Ned needed to talk to him. Waiting for him in his room seemed the best option. Or at least, it had at the time. 

Now, looking at the room, Ned thought maybe not. Here, it was hard to deny the effect his lie had on Jon. The room almost looked like the room of a guest, of someone who didn’t intend to stay. Nothing about the room indicated it was anybody’s home. 

_I kept him safe but at what cost_ he thought. _I made him an outsider in his mother’s home. In his home._

Once again he thought about how perhaps he should have told Jon in private. 

“I’m sorry Lyanna,” he said to the empty room as he sat down on the bed. “I promised you I’d keep him safe but I’m afraid I’ve just made a mess of things.” 

Ned looked out the window where the sun was starting to lighten the sky. He watched as every few seconds, another raven flew off into the distance. One to every northern house and one to the wall. 

_Benjen will want to know I’ve told him. He always told me to tell him. I should have listened._

Men of the Night’s Watch were sworn to take no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms, but leaving his brother uninformed would’ve been wrong. He had been closer to Lyanna than Ned or Brandon. And he was the only relative with whom Jon’s relationship hadn’t changed. 

He’d written up a letter to send to Riverrun as well, but it still sat on his desk. There was no need to bring any other kingdoms into this right now. There was no war. Yet. 

Catelyn was right though. A war would come. And Ned would fight for Jon. Robert was his friend but Jon was his son in all but blood. He wasn’t going to let Robert kill one of his children. 

_The last loyal knight rides ahead in the hopes of succeeding where he once failed. He is a friend to be welcomed._

Ned thought about the last line in Varys' letter. It had to mean Ser Barristan Selmy. He hoped he old knight rode quickly. It would be good for Jon to have someone around who knew his true father’s family as well as Selmy did. He would have to tell the castle guards to be on the lookout for him. 

Ned was taken from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. He turned and stood as Jon stepped inside. Jon stopped when he noticed him. After a moment he reached behind himself to close the door. 

“Lord Stark… How may I help you?” 

The formality was like a knife blow to Ned’s heart. He moved to sit on the trunk and patted the spot next to him. Jon sat down there. 

“I have always considered you my son,” Ned began. “I held you in my arms before I even held Robb. I have cared for you since the day you were born. I have tried to do everything I could to protect you, to give you a home. And I have failed. I’m sorry Jon.” 

“You didn’t fail.” 

“Robert is coming to kill you.” 

“He hasn’t killed me yet. And you did give me a home.” 

Ned looked around the room again, at how bare it was. He thought about Catelyn’s cold stares.

“Did I?”

“You did. And I’m grateful for it. For all of it. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. I’ve lived a better life than anyone could have thought.” 

“You speak as if it’s is about to end.” 

Jon looked at his feet and took a deep breath. When he looked back up, there was steel in his eyes. Ned knew that look. It was the same look Arya gave when she had made up her mind that she was going to do something no matter what. It was the same look Lyanna would have given as well. 

“You have to turn me over to King Robert.” 

Ned was on his feet now. “Absolutely not! I swore to protect you, not hand you over to be murdered.” 

Jon remained calm as he looked Ned in the eyes. 

“You have too. It’s either me or a thousand innocent Northmen. I’m not worth a thousand lives.” 

“An innocent life is always worth fighting for.” 

“Perhaps. But that’s your choice. I don’t want to force the other Northern lords to fight for a Targaryen.” 

“You’re not just a Targaryen, you’re a Stark.” 

“Will your bannermen see it that way, my lord. Or will they see me as an embodiment of the Rebellion? The very product of Rhaegar’s crimes.” 

“Rhaegar committed no crime.” 

“He kidnapped and raped—“ 

“No, he didn’t.” 

Jon was visibly shocked. Ned couldn’t fault him. He hadn’t mentioned this earlier because he was trying to get through the story as quick as possible. He didn’t think about how leaving that fact out would have made Jon feel. 

“The story we tell of Robert’s Rebellion is built on a lie,” Ned continued. “Lyanna went with Rhaegar willingly. She loved him. And he loved her. Gods know how but they found a High Septon willing to marry them. She swore it by the Old Gods and the New as did your wet nurse.” 

He knelt in front of Jon and took the boy's hands in his own. 

“No one forced anyone to do anything Jon. She loved you. More than anything in the world. If I hand you over to Robert, she will come back to life and murder me. And I would never be able to live with myself if I did that to one of my children.”

“But what if everyone else doesn’t feel the same,” Jon sounded smaller than he had before. The fear was finally starting to creep in. “What if the other northern lords would rather hand me over than fight another war?” 

“Then we convince them otherwise.” 

“How?” 

“I have a few ideas, but we’ll figure it out. I have sent letters asking them to call their banners and meet at Winterfell as soon as possible. Once they are here, we will plead our case.” 

“And if they agree with you, then what do we do?” 

“We fight. We ride for Moat Cailin and try to get there before Robert. No one has ever taken the Moat from the south. 

“For now though, you need to get some sleep. You’ve had a long night. Rest, Jon. We can talk more when you wake.” 

Ned stood and turned towards the door. He was just there when Jon spoke once more. 

“Can I still call you father?” he asked softly. 

Ned turned so Jon could see his face and know he was speaking the truth. 

“Always,” he said. “I would not want you to call me anything else.” 

With that, he left Jon to rest. 


End file.
